Winch for freight loading



March 23, 1954 M A, SCHlNKER 2,673,068

WINCH FOR FREIGHT LOADING Filed Nov. 22, 1950 Tiiiif'f Fig j; J7

jdo 30,? f 7779 Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,673,068 WINCH FOR FREIGHT LOADING Michael A. Schinker, Chicago, Ill. Application November 22, 1950, Serial No. 197,126

3 Claims. l

The present invention relates to load securing devices and, more particularly, to devices especially useful in restraining freight from shifting during transportation.

In the loading of transportation vehicles, such as freight cars and trucks, it has been the usual practice to secure boxes, crates and the like by means of cleats, braces and anchor plates which are nailed, screwed or bolted to the floor and walls of the transportation vehicle. The cleats, braces and anchor plates are fastened to the transportation vehicle at various points in accordance with the size and shape of the various pieces of freight making up the load and when the freight load is removed from the vehicle upon reaching its destination, the cleats, braces and anchor plates are removed from the vehicle. The repeated fastening and removing of the cleats, braces and anchor plates causes considerable damage to the transportation vehicle. In many cases the damage to the vehicle is so extensive that it becomes a leaker and cannot be used to transport friable materials, such as sand, gravel, grain or the like, because a considerable amount of the material would leak out of the vehicle during transportation. Furthermore, a freight load secured in this manner frequently works loose and is shifted during the course of travel of the vehicle due to the sudden stopping and starting of the vehicle and also due to the vibrations caused by the road bed over which the vehicle travels. In order to avoid possible damage to the freight that has been shifted during the course of travel, it is frequently necessary to resecure by fastening additional cleats, braces and anchor plates.

Another method of securing freight loads employs one or more metal binders or bands which are looped around several pieces of freight and the opposite ends are secured together by means of clips or seals in order to make up a composite freight unit. With this arrangement, it was believed that the composite freight units would remain substantially in place in the transportation vehicle by frictional contact of the vehicle floor. However, when several composite freight units of the type noted above were placed on a freight transportation vehicle it was found that the individual pieces of freight making up the composite unit shifted sufciently to loosen the encircling bands and the individual composite freight units also shifted with respect to one another sufficiently to cause at times, considerable damage to the pieces of freight. The

the freight load principal objection to the last mentioned method of securing freight loads is that special strapping tools, clips and seals for fastening the metal binders or bands, are not always available at the loading or shipping points and it was necessary to resort to the first method described above of securing a freight load. Another objlection to the above described method of securing a freight load is that it was virtually impossible to resecure the individual composite freight units if they became loosened during the course of transportation of the vehicle.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved load securing device for freight transportation vehicles which is rugged in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object is to provide a winch mechanism which is permanently secured to a transportation vehicle and which employs metal bands or straps to secure relatively large load units of freight together in desired positions on the vehicle.

A still further object is to provide a strapping winch for freight loading which may be repeatedly adjusted in order tc take up any slack in the binding straps or bands securing the load, which normally occurs as a result of shocks and vibrations incident to the travel of the freight transportation vehicle.

Other objects and features of this invention, together with the advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side plan view of one form of Winch mechanism constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the winch mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1

Fig. 4 is an end View of the winch mechanism illustrated in Fig, 1 and shows a portion of a metal strap or band being wound upon the arbor of the Winch;

Fig. 5 is a front view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of Fig. 5; and.

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan View of a transportation vehicle illustrating the use of the winch mechanism of the present invention in securing freight load units in place.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, :it will be seen that the winch mechanism I comprises four individual elements including a pair of angle brackets Ila and Hb, a spool l2 and a locking pin i3. These elements are arranged in the manner illustrated and the angle brackets Ila, and llb are secured to a transportation vehicle to provide an adjustable winch mechanisrn.

The different elements oi the winch mechanism le are preferably designed in the manner to be desorihed hereinafter. The angle brackets Elu, Hb are of identical construction and each bracket includes a pair of mounting holes 14a, lll-b, a pair of locking pin holes ita, itil) and a relatively large bearing hole it.

The spool l2 is a unitary casting and it includes a relatively large hub member il having oppositely disposed arbors Ita and lsb which are formed integrally therewith. The arbors iSa and lh are respectively inserted into the bearholes ill provided respectively in the angle brackets lo and lib'. Furthermore, the arbors 19a; and ith are iormed respectively with elongated slots and 2lb which extend diametrically t rough the center ci the arbors and along the cen is thereof to a point adjacent the 'g' holes Each of the slots 26a, and llb is preferably formed to receive at least two layers oi nietal strapping bands, although only one ba '32 is illustrated in Fig. 4.

The hub in ciber il', which forms a part of the spool l2, is provided with a plurality of equally spaced adiining holes it extending diametrically througlioiit the center of the hub member il in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the arbor itu.- These adjusting holes it are of sufiicient diameter to receive the end of a pinch bar, orowbar or the like, which is normally included as i'part of ythe tool equipment provided for ii"ght liandlers. lThe manner in which the 'yi/inch lo may be adjusted will be described hereina'fter.

In l addition to the adjusting holes i9, the hub 'iiji'rnh-er llis provided in the peripheral surface thereof with equally spaced semicircular cut-outs di). More specically, the seinicircular cut-outs 2G arefequally spaced between each of the adjusting holes l@ and they are formed in the circumferential surface of the hub member l1 so that they are parallel to the axis of the spool i2. The outs llcooperate with the locking pin i3, iv h may 'an ordinary bolt, in order to lock he spool i2 against rotation in either direction. cc'or'dingly, the locking pin holes ita and 51) in the angle brackets lia and lib are in alignnient with other arid they are in' alignment with the eircuiiif'erential surface of the hub member ll so that the locking pin i3 may beinserted in the appropriate set of locking 'pin holes when one of the cut-outs llt has been rotated to a coi"- respohdihg' position. I y

Referring new to Fig. 4, it will be seen that a rietal strap 2:2 may be placed into the slots 2in and '2th and wenn' around the arbor lill) by merely rotating the hub memher il. lThe metal strap 22 is preferably formed of strip sheet metal, the gauge 'of nich depends upon the sise and width of the freight load which is to be secured by the winoh mechanism lo. Strip sheet rnetal bands of the type commonly used by shippers freight loaders in conjunction with the preyieus'ly mentioned. special strapping tools; cl-ips vand seals; be satisfactorily employed with the winch mechanism iii to secure freight in pl'a on a transportation vehicle.

Since the spool l2 is rotatably supported in the bearing holes i6 on the angle brackets llc, I lb the radius of the hub member l'i must necessarily be slightly less than the distance between the center line of the bearing holes it and the right angle edge of the angle brackets l la or l lb. This limitation with regard to the diameter of the hub member l'l follows from the fact that the periphery of the hub member il `must clear the surface upon which the brackets Ho., Hb are mounted.

ln the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the winch mechanism 30 comprises a housing 3l, a spool 32 and a locking pin 33.

The housing 3l is formed as a unitary structure having a rear wall Sla, a top wall Sib, side walls Sic and tld and a mid-section Wall 3ie. The housing 3! also includes a bottom Wall Sli which is removably secured to the housing by means of a plurality of bolts Se. The mid-section wall Sie and the bottom wall 3U are respectively provided with bearing holes 35a and 35h and they are also respectively provided with locking pin holes 31a, 38a and 31h, tto.

The spool s2 includes a relatively large hub member 39 and oppositely disposed arbore lilla and 4th which are formed integrally therewith. In order to rotatably support the spoelt?! in the housing 3l in 'the manner illustrated, vthe arbor Mia is inserted into the bearing hole 35a in the :nid-section wall Sie and the arbor doh is inserted into' the bearing hole 35h in the bottom wall 3U as the latter is secured tothe housing 3l by means of the bolts 3st.

The arbor lila is formed with an elongated slot 4| extending diametrioally through the center oi the arbor and along the central a'Xis thereof to a point adjacent the bearing hole 35d in the mid-section v'J'-ll file. The slot lll is vsubstantially identical to the slot '2lb in the Winch mechanism l0, previously described, and is preferably formed to receive at least two layers of a metai strapping tand, such as the strap 1'2 inustrate'd in Fig. 4.

The hub member 39 is also provided with a plurality of equally spaced adjusting holes Q2 eX- tending diametricaiiy through the center of the hub member 39 in a plane perpendicular 'to the axis er the arbor toa. These adjusting rieles d2 are of sufficient diameter to receive the end of a pinch bar, crowbar, or "the like, which is normally included as part of the tool equipment provided for freight handlers.

In addition to the foregoing, the hub member 39 is provided with equally spaced semic'ircular cut-outs 36 in the peripheral surface thereof. More specically, the cut-outs 36 are equally spaced Vbetween each of Ythe adjusting holes 42 and they` are formed in the circumferential sui'- face of the hub member 39 so that they are parallel to the axis of the spool 32. The cut-outs Si; cooperate Awith lthe `locking pin 33, which may be an ordinary bolt, to lock `the spool V32 against rotation in either direction; h Accordingly, the locking pin holes 37a and-39d in Ythe midsection tvall l are respectively in alignment with the locking pin holes 31p and 38h provided in Vthe Vrettore Vtali fili.V Aue, the melting,pmy holes,

noted above,vare in alignment With the circumrereriuai surface pf the hub member se so that the locking pm sanity te vinserte/ 1 nuo the appropri'ateset of llockihgfpin holes when one of the Ys'emicirc'ulai" cut-outs "3E has been Arotated linto a corresponding position-. y I l It should be `noted that the arbor Vwill?) on Athe like.

spool 32 is only of sufficient length to extend through the bearing hole 35h in the bottom Wall 3If. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the spool 32, in the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is exactly the same as the spool I2, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, except that the portion of the arbor I8a including the slotted portion 2 Ia has been severed from the spool.

Fig. 7 of the drawing schematically illustrates various methods of securing freight load units to a freight car by employing the winch mechanism I Il, disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and the winch mechanism 30, disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6. Although both forms of winch mechanisms have been utilized in securing the freight units disclosed in Fig. 7, it should be understood that either form of winch mechanism may be separately employed. In Fig. 7, each of the winch `mechanisms 30a, 30h etc. corresponds to the winch mechanism 30 illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 and each of the winch mechanisms Ia, Ib etc. corresponds to the winch mechanism I illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. The winch mechanisms 30a, 30h etc. may be counter-sunk into the lining forming the side wall structure of the freight car 50 so that the front surface of each of the winch mechanisms is substantially flush with the inside Wall surface of the freight car 50. These winch mechanisms may be permanently secured to the freight car structure, without interfering with the loading space within the car, in any desired manner, such as by welding, bolting or the In order to retain the freight unit I in position, a metal strap 55 is placed in the slot on the arbor of the winch mechanism 30a, Iand the associated spool is rotated at least one turn in order to wind the strap 55 around the arbor. The locking pin of the winch mechanism 30a may now be inserted into the locking pin holes in order to prevent rotation of the associated spool. The opposite end of the metal strap 55 is secured in the same manner to the winch mechanism 30d provided in the opposite wall of the freight car 50. In order to tighten `the strap 55, the freight loader may insert a rod, such as a pinchbar or crowbar, into one of the adjusting holes provided in the spool of the` winch mechanism 30a or 30d and hold the spool against rotation as the locking pin is withdrawn. The length of the pinch bar provides sufficient leverage to enable the freight loader to easily rotate the spool of the winch mechanism until the strap 55 is tensioned sufficiently to securely fasten the freight unit 5I in position. When the spool is rotated to a position where a cut-out in the periphery of the spool is in alignment with either set of locking pin holes, the locking pin may be replaced in order to lock the spool against further rotation.

Another arrangement of securing freight loads is shown at the opposite end of the car 50. In this arrangement two smaller freight load units 53 and 54 are secured in opposite corners of the freight car 5I) by means of the straps 51 and 58 and the winch mechanisms 30e, 30j, 30g and 30h. However, in order to provide adequate space between units 53 and 54 and the end Wall of the freight car 50, spacer blocks 56 have been provided. These spacer blocks provide sufficient space between the end of the car and the freight units to enable the freight loader to fasten the ends of the metal straps 51 and 58 in the winch mechanisms 30e, 3IJf, 30g and 30h in the manner hereinbefore described.

The freight load unit 52, illustrated in the central portion of the freight car 50. is secured by means of winch mechanisms Illa, I 0b, IIIe and I 0d. These winch mechanisms are secured to the side walls of the freight car 50 in a vertical position, that is, with the axis of the mechanisms perpendicular to the floor of the car. Accordingly, the angle brackets of each Winch mechanism are secured to the side wall of the car, in any desirable manner, at a convenient level from the iloor of the car. For example, the winch mechanisms Illa and Ib may be secured to one side wall of the freight car 5I! and the winch mechanisms Ic and Id may be secured to the opposite side Wall thereof.

In order to secure the freight load unit 52 in place, the opposite ends of a metal strap 51a are placed in the slots in the arbors of the respective winch mechanisms IIJa and Illb; the opposite ends of 'a metal strap 57h are placed in the slots in the arbors of the respective winch mechanisms -Ib and Ic; the opposite ends of a metal strap 5Ic are placed in the slots in the arbors of the respective winch mechanisms IIlc and Idd; and the opposite ends of a metal strap 57d are placed in the slots in the arbors of the respective winch mechanisms Illd 'and Ia. In this manner, the load unit 52 is completely surrounded by the four separate straps 57a to 51d, inclusive. The four winch mechanisms Ia to ltd, inclusive, may be individually rotated, in the manner previously described, in order to securely fasten the load unit 52 in position in the car 50.

The above arrangements for securing the freight loads 5I, 52, 53 and 54 on the freight car 56 are merely illustrative of many combinations 5 which may be utilized. It should be understood that although. the winch mechanisms Illa to Illd, inclusive, are shown secured to the side wall structure of the freight car, they may also be se,- cured to the floor of the car in any desired manner. In the latter event, the metal strap members may be placed over the top of the: freight load unit instead of around the sides thereof. 7

In all of the above arrangements for securing freight load units on a transportation vehicle, the freight handlers or the members of a train crew may be required to readjust the various winch mechanisms in order to resecure the associated freight load units due to the fact that the starting, stopping and vibrations of the vehicle, during the course of shipping, the freight units will loosen the metal binding straps. These adjustments may readily be made, as previously noted, by utilizing a pinch bar, crowbar or rod to hold the spool of the winch mechanisms, removing the locking pin and` replacing the same after the tightening operation has been performed.

In the winch mechanism IIJ, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and the modified winch mechanism 39, illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the locking pins I3 and 33 are shown as independent removable elements. It should be understood however, that each of the pins I3 and 33' may be secured to its individual winch mechanism by means of a flexible connection, such as a chain, so as to prevent loss of the locking pin.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the two forms of the invention disclosed will secure freight loads against movement during transportation and that they may be readjusted at will. While two embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be understood that various modications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim: Y

1. Vi load securing device mounted on a freight transportation vehicle comprising in combination, spaced apart L-shaped flange members adapted to be secured to said vehicle, a spool member posi tioned between said flange members, oppositely disposed shafts formed along the axis of said spool'` rotatably supported by said flange members, said spool member having a body portion -of greater diameter than the diameter of said shafts and having a plurality of spaced apart openings in said body portion extending radially from the axis of said spool in circumferential alignment and adapted to receive the end of a conventional pinch bar or crowbar in order to rotate said spool in either direction, a plurality of spaced apart parallel concaved cut-outs formed in the periphery of said body portion of said spool parallel to said axis, said ange members having oppositely disposed openings therein in alignment with kthe periphery of said body portion oi said spool, a slot formed in each of said shafts to receive binding strap members which have been passed around at least a portion of a freight load unit and adapted to wind said binding strap members around said shafts as said body portion of `said spool member is rotated in either direction, and a locking pin adapted to be inserted between said a'nges through said openings therein only in the event one of said cut-outs in said body portion of said spool is in alignment therewith in order to lock said spool against rotation in either direction.

2. A load securing device for a freight transportation vehicle comprising a housing member having a front opening therein, a dividing wall in said housing, a spool member positioned between one wall of said housing and said dividing Wall, oppositely disposed shafts formed along the axis of said Ispool `respectively supported for rotation i on said one Wall and said dividing wall, said spool member having a vplurality of spaced apart openings therein extending radially from the axis of said spool adapted to receive the end of a conventional pinch bar or crowbar in order to rotate said spool about its axis in either direction, said spool having a plurality of spaced apart cut-outs formed in the periphery thereof parallel to said axis, said dividing wall and said one Wall having oppositely disposed openings therein in alignment with the periphery of said spool and parallel to the axis thereof, means formed in the one of said shafts rotatably 'supported by said dividing wall for receiving one or more binding members which have been passed around-at least a portion of the 'freight load unit and adapted to Wind said bindi ing members around said shaft as said spool member is rotated, a lockingpin adapted to be inserted between said dividing wall and said one wall through the said openings therein only in the event one of said cut-outs is in alignment therewith in order to lock said spool against rotation in either direction, and means for demountably securing said one wall on said housing in order to remove said spool member from said housing.

3. A load securing device for a freight transportation vehicle comprising in combination, a housing having a front opening therein, a dividing wall in said housing forming oppositely disposed chambers, a spool member positioned in one of said chambers between said dividing wall and one wall of Asaid housing, oppositely disposed shafts formed along the axis of said spool rotatably supporting said spool within said one charnber with one of said shafts extending into the other of said chambers, said spool member .having a plurality of spaced apart openings therein extending radially from the axis in circumferential alignment adapted to receive the end of a conventional pinch bar or crowbar in order to rotate said spool about its axis in either direction, said spool having a plurality of spaced apart concaved cutouts formed in the periphery thereof parallel to said axis and between adjacent ones of said openings, said dividing Wall and said one housing wall having oppositely disposed openings therein in alignment With the periphery of said spool and parallel to the axis thereof, a slot formed in the portion of said one shaft Which extends into said other chamber for receiving one or more binding members which have been passed around at least a portion of the freight load unit and adapted to wind said binding members around said one shaft -as said spool member is rotated, and a locking pin adapted to be inserted between said dividing Wall and said one housing Wall through the said openings therein. only in the event one of said concaved cutouts is in alignment therewith in order to lock said spool against rotation in either direction.

MICHAEL A. SCHINKER.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent 4UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,216,825 McMillan Feb. 20, 1917 1,249,257 Venard Dec. 4, l1917 1,403,042 Leonard Jan. 10, 1922 2,230,373 Briggs et al Feb. 4, 1941 

